Reducing marine pollution in the Baltics

Marine litter is a serious threat to the coastal and marine environment both around the world and along European sea shores. Marine pollution also hampers tourism, which is important for the Baltic States' development; besides removal of litter on shore in the Baltic Sea is expensive and intolerable. The issue shall be taken seriously by the Baltic Development Forum’s agenda.

The
European Commission’s Environment DG has taken the pledge te at the forefront
of efforts to reduce marine pollution (mainly in the form of litter and
garbage).

Marine
habitats are contaminated with man-made garbage and other waste, posing growing
environmental, economic, health and aesthetic problems. The European Commission
is raising awareness about this European as well as global problem, in line
with commitments made in Rio (in summer 2012) to reduce the incidence and impacts
of such pollution on marine ecosystems.

Background

The
environmental impacts of marine litter can be felt mostly on marine fauna, but
they provide also extra stress on already fragile marine ecosystems, and can
affect human health. Marine litter also hampers tourism, and the removal of
litter on shore cost several million Euros a year to coastal areas in Europe.

The Marine
Strategy Framework Directive requires EU member states to achieve
"good environmental status" of their marine waters by 2020. In order
to do so, a first step in the implementation is the preparation of an initial
assessment (according to Directive’s art. 8) which identifies the main threats
to the European Seas.

In
addition, member states have to translate their definition of “Good
Environmental Status” (GES, art. 9) into concrete criteria against which the
monitoring data can be assessed.

Finally, member states have to set national
environmental targets (art. 10).

Marine
litter is one of eleven qualitative descriptors member states must consider
when determining GES. All this work has to be done in cooperation between those
countries which shared the four European Seas, i.e. the North-East Atlantic,
the Baltic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

Commission’s opinion

Environment
Commissioner Janez Potočnik said:
"At the Rio +20 Earth Summit in 2012, the world leaders committed to
achieving a significant reduction in marine litter by 2025. The European
Commission intends to be at the forefront of this effort, working closely with
the EU member states, Regional Sea Conventions and stakeholders to identify and
develop concerted initiatives to tackle the problem."

Reference: Press release, IP/12/1221; Brussels, 16
November 2012

To raise
awareness and stimulate reflection, the Commission has published an overview of
the relevant EU legislation, policies and strategies that touch on this
problem, with an indication of on-going and future initiatives in this area.

Problems and solutions

Marine
litter is composed of up to 80 % of plastic, and originates from a diverse
range of sources. Plastics tend to persist in the marine environment, possibly
for hundreds of years, the Commission’s press release underlines.

The EU
legislative documents conclude that policies on water, resource efficiency and
waste, as well as marine and nature protection policies (together with ship and
port infrastructure-related legislation) all have a role to play in tackling
the problems. Most important presently is that these policies have to be better
implemented properly.

Past EU
efforts in sea pollution prevention have been partially hampered by a lack of
solid information about the exact scale and nature of the problem. The
Commission thinks that this issue should be presently resolved, as better
knowledge of the seas’ quality becomes available.

Already by
15 October 2012, EU member states
had to submit an initial assessment of the state of their marine waters, their
definition of 'Good Environmental Status' and the targets they have set to
achieve it ( as part of the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework
Directive). Not all member states, however, have been able to report on time.

The
Commission is now analysing these reports of the member states and intends to
publish its assessment in 2013.

Next steps

The EU
marine litter paper, together with several on-going pilot projects and the
information gathered from the EU member states on the state of their seas under
the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, will be an important input as the
Commission considers a possible EU-wide reduction target as a contribution to
the commitment made in Rio+20.

The
Commission will now consult with the EU-27 states and other countries, Regional
Sea Conventions, stakeholders and other interested parties on how to best take
forward actions on marine litter.

This
consultation will culminate in an International Conference on Prevention and
Management of Marine Litter in European Seas, co-organised by the German
Federal Environment Ministry and the European Commission in Berlin in April
2013.

Germany's
Environment Minister Altmaier and Commissioner Potočnik will be among the
participants of this event that will focus Regional Action Plans for Europe's
Seas and aims to come forward with a practical toolbox for action.

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